


Home

by Aryetty



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Child Jongho, Child Yeosang, Happy Ending, I Tried, Kim Hongjoong is Whipped, Kindergarten owner Hongjoong, M/M, Pining, Single Parent Park Seonghwa, Soft Park Seonghwa, Some Humor, Woosan are just trying to help, Yungi are chaotic, and some babies, basically Hongjoong fanning over Seonghwa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23935309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryetty/pseuds/Aryetty
Summary: Kim Hongjoong is a busy man, running a kindergarten is not as simple of a task as it sounds. Being surrounded by cute kids makes it easier to get out of bed everyday to take on entitled parents with "heaven sent" children, but then a small brawl happens and the father of one tiny human turns up in his office.“Hongjoong hyung is crushing on a dad!!!”“What the hell Mingi! This is an educational institution, you can’t scream like that!”“I don’t care, you’re crushing on a daadd!”  Hongjoong definitely isn't.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 64
Kudos: 279





	1. I fly high

**Author's Note:**

> So this is purely based on me imagining Seonghwa with a little kid and then projecting on Hongjoong. I hope you enjoy it! Please leave me comments! They motivate and inspire me! 
> 
> The title is based on Park Hyoshin's Home, which I listened to a lot while writing this. I'll leave here the link to it please check it out while you read this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtYikSrxdvs (also the fact that the mv is about him and Jung Jaeil adopting a child... completely coincidental)

Being a school principal seems to a pretty fulfilling job. “You’ll be responsible of the future of this nation.” They told him when he accepted the job. But if you ask Hongjoong, the actual job was far from what they promised him. Yes, he basically had the future of the nation in his hands but nobody warned him how stupid these kids could be at times. He had been a high school principal for 3 years before he decided he had enough

Some had thrown him judging looks, claiming he gave up too easily; others had laughed in his face saying he can’t handle some teenagers. But he knew better. It wasn’t that he couldn’t manage them, or that he was defeated. It just wasn’t the job for him.

He wanted to help model the future adults, but he realised that there isn’t much to change in teenagers. So, he decided to go closer to the roots.

His godfather had a private kindergarten that he was trying to sell. He said he was getting a little old and preferred to retire. It took Hongjoong a few months to get everything sorted out. To be honest, he never realised how much paperwork owning an educational institution requires. He ended up dumping everything on his secretary, lawyer and accountant in the end, and just focusing on actually running the place.

And if he is sincere, managing a kinder garden is a lot less stressful. At least here the kids don’t sneer in his face. He can’t say the same about the parents though.

He sighs deeply, trying to pretend he is listening to the woman in front of him.

“I don’t send my baby here so he can get home all bruised like this!” the lady almost screeches, like it is his fault her son got hurt.

He looks at the kid sitting in the chair next to her. To be honest, the boy only has a scratch on his knee. He remembers he used to have a lot of worst wounds when he was a kid and his mom never threw a fit like this. “It’s normal for kids to get hurt from time to time. It’s how they learn.” She used to say. However, he can’t say that to the furious woman in front of him.

“We know, ma’am. We’re really sorry, we should have supervised them better.” He says for the tenth time. The words pass right through her, it’s like talking to a wall. A deaf, self-absorbed, talking wall.

“Where is the other kid? I want to speak with his parents!” she demands for the third time. Hongjoong suppresses another sigh. He already told the woman that they were on the way the first three times she asked.

“I’ll go check when they arrive.” He says, taking the chance to get away from the room. The woman huffs loudly but doesn’t protest any further.

He exits his office as fast as he can while trying not to look like he is running away. He closes the door behind him and lets out the deep sigh he kept in all this time. His secretary gives him a pitiful look.

“Did the other kid’s parents arrive?” he whisper-asks, trying to keep the panic away from his voice. He apparently doesn’t do such a good job cause Yunho cringes slightly.

“Not yet. I spoke with the father but he said he’s in the other part of the city and it’ll take time to get here. He said he’ll try to send someone else faster meanwhile.”

A small sob distracts him and he turns to the side to find the other kid on the waiting bench, sniffling quietly.

Park Yeosang is a really adorable kid, a little smaller than the others his age, and a lot quieter. He never created any problems before this incident and, if Hongjoong would have been allowed to take parts, he’ll be more inclined to believe that Yeosang was the actual victim here. The boy had a lot more injuries, his left elbow and knee bleeding a little and a bruise starting to colour his cheek. But, unfortunately, Hongjoong is supposed to be impartial.

The shiny tears in Yeosang’s big eyes still tug at his heart as he approaches the boy slowly.

“Hey there.” He whispers, kneeling in front of the chair the child sits on. “Why are you crying? Does it hurt a lot?” he asks as gently as possible, hoping he won’t scare him. Yeosang swallows another sob and nods shortly, his eyes now fixed on Hongjoong’s face, tears shining brightly. Hongjoong smiles, turning to Yunho.

“Do we have some band aids around?” he asks. The secretary nods shortly and starts rummaging through his desk until he finds a box and throws it towards Hongjoong with a short “Catch.”

“Oh, look Yeosang, they have Pokémon on them.” He shows Yeosang the colourful box, opening and searching for some bigger ones.

“Pokémon?” the kid whispers. He still looks scared but there’s also some curiosity thrown in there. 

“Yeah. Do you know Pokémon?” he asks, trying to distract him as he fits a band aid on the boy’s knee.

“Yes. Daddy watches it with me.” Yeosang answers in the same soft voice. “When he doesn’t have work.” The kid seems almost captivated by the band aid on his knee, small fingers coming to touch the Pikachu on it.

“Pika is daddy’s favourite.” He whispers softly, lifting his eyes to meet Hongjoong’s. The tears had mostly dried, but his eyes are still shining beautifully, small lips forming into a pout. Hongjoong notices a pink spot next to the boy’s eye, barely visible through the long bangs. Is that a birthmark?

“Really?” Hongjoong says, lifting the boy’s arm to take a look at his elbow. The scratch there is uglier and it would need some disinfectant but Hongjoong doesn’t have that now. He blows a little on it and Yeosang winces.

“Sorry.” He whispers, finding a bigger band aid and ripping the package. “Pikachu is also my favourite.” He smiles, distracting Yeosang again. “What’s yours?”

“Jiggly puff.” The kid answers, blowing his cheeks up a little. Hongjoong wants to pitch them. “Jiggly puff is the most pretty one even if daddy doesn’t believe me.”

“The prettiest.” Hongjoong corrects softly, finishing with the band aid and looking back at the boy. Now that he thinks about it, Yeosang does look a little like Jiggly puff, with his chubby cheeks and big eyes. Maybe he also has the same power as the Pokémon because Hongjoong is definitely infatuated.

“Is daddy really coming?” Yeosang asks, voice even softer than before. There are new tears forming in his eyes and for a second Hongjoong panics.

“Yes, he promised to come as soon as he can. Don’t worry, you are not in trouble. I’ll explain everything to him, yes?” he tries to calm the boy but apparently it doesn’t work cause Yeosang’s tears start to stream down. Hongjoong swears his heart cracks a little with every tear.

“But-tt…” the boy sobs a little, little fists coming up to harshly wipe his tears. “D-daddy will get in trouble if he leaves work a-again.”

Oh. So that’s why he was asking them not to call his dad. Hongjoong bites his lower lip. He can’t believe that this boy is worrying about his dad’s job when he is covered in bruises like this.

“Hey… Yeosang, look at me darling.” He beckons, stroking the kid’s back in small circles. “I’m sure your daddy will solve this. Don’t cry, okay?” He whispers. Thankfully, Yeosang seems to trust him for some odd reason.

“Really?” he asks, his big eyes boring into Hongjoong’s with such force the adult feels hypnotized.

“Yes, really.” He sounds so sure of himself. If the kid’s dad really gets in trouble, he’ll probably hate himself. “Now let’s clean you up a little. Your daddy will be sad if he’ll see that you cried, right?”

Yeosang gasps, like it’s the first time the thought crossed his mind, and nods fervently. He seems to believe everything that Hongjoong says. It makes the man feel guilty. He silently asks Yunho for some wet tissues, ignoring the proud smile on his secretary’s face when he hands them to him.

Just then the door opens abruptly, hitting the wall behind it with a loud bang. Hongjoong turns around towards the young man standing in the doorway, ready to scold him, but Yeosang’s excited voice beats him to it.

“Woo!” the kid exclaims, running past Hongjoong and right intro the man’s arms. The newcomer catches him easily, lifting him up with a laugh and a kiss on the forehead.

“Sangie! I missed you so muchhh!” he whines, literally whines, gaining a judging look from Hongjoong. The kid however giggles happily, seemingly having forgotten that he was crying minutes before.

“You’re such a dok, Woo.” Yeosang laughs.

“A dork, Sangie.” The man corrects him, smiling brightly. His smile falters a bit when he sees the bruise on the child’s cheek. “What’s this? You fell?”

Hongjoong decides it’s a good moment to interfere.

“Hello. Are you Yeosang’s dad?” he asks, getting closer to the two and handling the tissues to the other man.

“Hi. No, I’m a friend of his dad. Hyung is stuck in traffic but he’ll be here soon.” the man says, starring at the tissues as he has no idea why Hongjoong gave them to him.

“Is daddy really coming?” Yeosang asks, sounding sad again. The man looks at him again and seems to realise what the tissues are for because he starts to clean the child’s tear strained face.

“Of course. Didn’t daddy promise that he’ll come every time you need him?”

Yeosang seems to contemplate over this, his small forehead gathering into a frown, lips pouting again. Hongjoong feels the need to take in a deep breath. Damn this kid is too adorable for his good.

“But Woo… what about work?” the child insists. Hongjoong wonders what job Yeosang’s dad has that the kid is so worried about.

“Now, Sangie, we told you these are adult problems. You shouldn’t worry about them.” ‘Woo’ explains gently. “You know how strong your daddy is, right? He’ll solve any problem.”

This seems to finally make Yeosang relax as he giggles again happily.

“That’s right. Daddy’s the strongest.” He murmurs, hands playing with the man’s hair.

“That’s right. Now, let’s see what happened to you, should we?”

Hongjoong takes that as a clue to invite the man into his office to discuss the problem.

“So, you are the new principal. You are a lot younger than I expected.” The man says as he follows him.

“I get that lot.” Hongjoong chuckles as he opens the door to the office. “My name is Kim Hongjoong.”

He is suddenly reminded about the angry woman in his office right as he lets the man carry Yeosang through the door first. Shit, he totally forgot about her.

“I’m Jung Wooyoung. I’ll pick Yeosang up pretty often so we’ll meet from time to time.” The man introduces himself right as a loud huff catches their attention from the room.

“Finally!” Mrs Lee almost shrieks, making Yeosang hide his face in Wooyoung’s shoulder. Even her son, Joon, seems to be taken aback by his mother’s behaviour. “What took you so long? Do you think I have all the time in the world to wait for you?” she rudely questions them. Hongjoong wonders if she’s talking with him or with the other man.

“Mrs Lee, please calm down. You are scarring the kids.” He hushes her, motioning to Wooyoung to take a seat and circling the desk to also sit down. The woman throws a glance at her son and seems to realise her mistake, burring herself in her chair a little further.

“Now, that we are all here can you guys explain me what happened?” he asks making sure to have both children’s attention.

“I already told you what happened. That kid pushed my son!” the woman says, angry again. Hongjoong sees Wooyoung tense visibly and both kids panicked eyes moving between him and Mrs Lee.

“I was asking the boys, ma’am.” Hongjoong says as calmly as he can, throwing a smile to both Joon and Yeosang.

“Our Yeosang did this?” Wooyoung asks, shock evident in his voice and on his face too. Hongjoong understands him, Yeosang really doesn’t seem like the type to start a fight.

“Yeosang is that true?” Hongjoong tries to sound as friendly as possible. Yeosang seems a little scared, but he holds his gaze as he nods shortly. Wooyoung gasps loudly while Mrs Lee lets out a victorious ‘ha!’ as her biggest goal for the day was to win a fight with a five-year-old.

“Why did you push him?” Hongjoong questions further, giving Yeosang his full attention and a gentle smile to coax him. The kid digs his little round teeth in his bottom lip for a few seconds and gives Wooyoung a worried look before he turns towards Hongjoong again.

“Joonie told me that… he said that I don’t have a mommy because she left … be-because she didn’t l-like me or daddy.” The boy finally speaks, his small hand gathering around one of Wooyoung’s fingers, like he’s seeking support from the man. “But that’s not true! Daddy told me mommy really loved me!” Yeosang continues, his voice a little desperate.

Hongjoong’s heart breaks a little, the urge to hug the child suddenly overwhelming him. Wooyoung seems to feel the same cause he brings the boy closer to his chest, a deep frown settling between his eyebrows as he turns to glare at the woman sitting next to him.

Mrs Lee seems to have finally swallowed her words.

“Is this true, Joon?” Hongjoong turns towards the other boy, trying to keep his smile on. The boy seems to be sorry; his head bend down as he whispers a small yes.

Hongjoong hears a sharp intake of air from Wooyoung and sincerely he’s just as shocked. He never thought he’ll experience this kind of problems with children as small as Yeosang and Joon. He breaths in twice, trying to think of the best way to handle this.

It seems that Mrs Lee doesn’t need as much time to digest what her son did.

“Even if this is true, that kid pushed Joon. He’s obviously a violent kid and…”

“Mrs Lee!” Hongjoong cuts the woman off, his voice more powerful than intended. But it does the trick as the woman shuts her mouth. Hongjoong breathes deeply once more before turning towards Yeosang again.

“Yeosang, I have a big favour to ask of you. Can you help me?” he asks with a smile. The boy nods, his big eyes shining at the thought of receiving an important task.

“Can you take Joon to Yunho in the other room and ask him for the band aids? You see, Joonie is also hurt and needs one. Can you help me with that?” he asks. Yeosang’s eyes open even larger at that and he nods excited, hopping off Wooyoung’s lap.

“I’ll be back, Woo. I have to help Joonie now.” He murmurs to the man going towards the chair Joon sits on.

Hongjoong sees Mrs Lee open her mouth to protest but he cuts her off with a glare. Joon seems eager to leave the room because he hops off his chair and takes Yeosang’s small hand into his.

“I’m sorry about what I said.” Hongjoong hears him whisper as they head to the door. Yeosang’s smile is a little breath-taking if you ask him.

“Sorry I pushed you” the other boy answers as the door closes behind them.

This is one of the things Hongjoong loves at small children. They can argue and fight but they are also quick to forgive each other. Their sweet innocence doesn’t allow them to keep grudges. The world will be a lot better if adults would be the same.

The moment the door closes after the two boys, the woman turns swiftly towards him, a cold glare pinning him in place.

“As I was saying, the kid obviously has violent tendencies.” She growls. With the corner of his eyes, Hongjoong sees Wooyoung open his mouth to protest but he raises a hand to stop him.

“Now, Mrs Lee, this is obviously an exaggeration. You’ve seen Yeosang just now. He is a nice kid and so is Joon, I believe.”

“Oh, you believe?” she scoffs, her voice starting to go up again. Hongjoong tries to suppress a wince. He really needs a raise for putting up with this woman. “You ‘believe’ so? The problem here won’t be solved by your beliefs, I’m afraid. That kid is violent and I want him as far from my son as possible. Who knows what he’s capable of? It is obvious that he lacked some attention as he grew up.”

“Mrs Lee!” he warns at the same time Wooyoung jumps from his chair.

“Listen here woman.” The man starts, voice dangerously low but perfect audible. “I was going to ignore the idiocy your brat told Yeosang but now I see where he learnt such things.”

Hongjoong also raises from his chair. ”Mr Jung, please calm down.” He tries, but the man ignores him completely, getting closer to the woman. She tries to keep a confident figure, but Hongjoong can see how she is almost pushing the chair back in the unconscious try to lean away from Wooyoung. The fake fur she is wearing ruffles around her and Hongjoong is reminded of a chicken ready to fight.

“I won’t allow anyone to look down on Yeosang or his family, do you hear me?” Wooyoung threatens. “And in case you are not as blind as you are apparently deaf, Yeosang is more hurt than your kid so don’t you dare blame him for being violent when it’s clear who the actual bully is here.”

Hongjoong tries not to show how pleased he is that somebody actually gave this woman a piece of their mind. He reminds himself once more that his job is to remain impartial.

“Mr Jung, please sit back down.” He says instead, pointing to Wooyoung’s chair just as the door to his office opens.

He looks up, expecting to see the two boys or Yunho coming to tell him to keep it down. Instead he is met with an out of breath, very beautiful man. He is momentary stuck as he takes in the new arrival’s appearance.

The man is taller than him, not that that is hard to achieve, his body fit, with broad shoulders and a tiny waist accentuated by his formal dress pants. His dark hair, perfectly messed up by the strong wind outside, falls a little too long over his forehead, almost covering a big pair of dark brown eyes as they take a look around the office, widening as they stop on Hongjoong. His plush looking lips part a little, to let out a harsh breath and Hongjoong needs to make a real effort look away from them. There is a pink blush resting on the man’s cheeks, probably also from the wind or because the man seems to have been running.

And then the man speaks and Hongjoong knows he’s a goner.

“I’m so sorry for being late.” His voice is soft, low but melodious like a lazy morning song. Hongjoong feels his heart skip a beat and forces himself to breathe in, the sound a little harsh but thankfully nobody seems to notice. Well, almost nobody.

When Hongjoong forces his eyes away from the beautiful man he notices that Wooyoung is watching him closely, a mischievous smile playing on the corners of his lips. Suddenly, his face feels as pink as the new man’s, however he doesn’t have the excuse of the weather.

He pointedly ignores Wooyoung as he raises an amused eyebrow at him and throws one more fugitive look at the man still standing by the door, making him a sign to get in. The man nods and comes further in the room, closing the door behind him. He takes a seat next to Wooyoung, giving the other man a warm smile and Hongjoong tries hard not to slowly melt under his desk.

“I am Yeosang’s father, Park Seonghwa.” The man says next, his eyes meeting Hongjoong’s again. The sentence is little unnecessary. Even if they wouldn’t have been expecting him, Hongjoong would had still been able to make that connection. Park Seonghwa has exactly the same beautiful eyes as his son, let alone the same endearing aura.

The blush on Hongjoong’s cheeks grows hotter at the thought, and for a second he worries the other will notice. He is, however, saved by Mrs Lee who seems to have grown even more impatient in the meantime. He turns back to the woman as she lets out a scoff, but not before noticing the curious, full smile stretching on Wooyoung’s face.

“Can we get over with this already? I don’t have all day.” the woman says angrily. Hongjoong notices how she avoids looking towards Wooyoung though.

“Yes, Mrs Lee” he agrees. He can’t wait to get rid of her either. “Now that Yeosang’s father is here as well, I will like to conclude this quickly.” He points to the general direction where Park Seonghwa is sitting, not daring to take another look in fear of getting distracted again.

“As you saw earlier, the boys already apologised to each other so I think the situation is quite solved.” He says, hoping for a second she will drop it. He isn’t that lucky though.

“Solved?” She screeches, quite literally. Hongjoong’s hand unconsciously shots up to cover his ears but he stops himself in time. He needs to keep his professional façade, or at least try to.

“How can it be solved? My child was hurt and you are really going to act like nothing happened?”

“Mrs Lee, I am not pretending nothing happen.” He tries to placate her but with no success.

“Is this how you are gonna run this institution? I know you are pretty new and giving your age I am sure you don’t have that much experience but from what I see you are not even trying!” she sneers and Hongjoong feels his ears heat up. She’s not done though.

“Don’t even think I won’t take this matter further. My husband knows Song Kang Joon and we will make sure he gets to hear how you are treating one of his closest friends and their child! You’ll be fired before you even get to unpack your things!” she points angrily to the boxes in the corner of Hongjoong’s office, with some books and documents he still didn’t get around to put on the shelves.

He can’t stop himself from chuckling lowly at her ignorance. It seems to finally grab her attention though, as she shuts her mouth mid-sentence, her eyes growing wide with shock and rage.

“Are you seriously laughing right now?” she asks, her voice on a normal level for once but her eyes almost popping out of their socks.

Hongjoong is tempted to actually laugh, properly laugh right there in her face. But he reminds himself he is the face of this institution and he needs to act properly if he doesn’t want to lose all children.

He coughs twice, preparing his voice, and throws a quick glance to the other occupants of the room. Jung Wooyoung seems to be enjoying the little show, his lips stretched in a half smirk as mirth shines in his eyes.

Park Seonghwa looks the opposite of his friend, his big eyes wide with shock are fixated on the woman on his left, lips parted a little bit, like he forgot to actually close them. They are very nice lips, Hongjoong finds himself observing again, but he shakes the thought away. He needs to focus.

“Mrs Lee, it seems you’ve got the wrong impression about a couple of things.” He starts, his eyes trained on the woman as he sits a little straighter, intertwining his hands atop of his desk. He hopes he comes off at least half as confident as he aims to be.

“First of all, let me assure you that no one will pretend that this didn’t happen. Me, as well as the teachers, will keep a close eye on both Joon and Yeosang to ensure that neither of them is hurt again. Physically or verbally.” He adds on a second thought. In the corner of his eyes he sees Park Seonghwa frown in confusion, but he decides to finish with the woman first.

“Second of all, I would like you to know that we will not tolerate any kind of bullying in this institution. I am sure that so far everyone did their best to prevent it and I assure you it is one of my top priorities. I will personally try my best to protect the children from any harm, and I will also make sure that they, but also their parents and the staff here think of this place as a safe haven for everyone. That being said, I will not tolerate any sort of threats being made against anyone involved.” He stresses, his voice lowering in order to express the severity of his statements. He sees her eyes flash with panic, and he feels like he is back in the high school he operated before, scolding some teenager for smoking in the bathroom.

“Regarding the… statements you just made regarding my position; I would like to clarify some misunderstandings.” He continues, happy to see that she is not trying to interrupt him for once.

“I do not know how close your husband is with Kang Joon hyung, my godfather has always been a social butterfly so I keep losing track of his new friends.” He can see the mortification fully bloom on her face now and resists the urge to smile. There’s time for that later, after all this is solved and he can laugh with Yunho about how stupid everything was.

“But I am sure that if you are so close to him as you say you are, you were at his _retirement_ party last month where he announced that he sold _me_ the kinder garden. That being said, I think I have all the time in the world to unpack my books.” He does let a little smile slip on his lips now. The way so many emotions play on her face at the moment, anger, shock, embarrassment, is quite amusing and he wishes he could record it.

Hongjoong allows her a few moments to regain her posture as he glances around the room. Wooyoung meets his eyes and flashes him a bright smile. The man seems to be barely containing his laughter. 

He moves his eyes to the man next to Wooyoung and is surprised to find that Park Seonghwa is already watching him, eyes just as wide as before and lips parted, but rather than shock there seems to be some sort of admiration dancing in those beautiful eyes. Hongjoong can feel the blush creeping on his neck again and decides to end the meeting before he does something idiotic, like blurting out how pretty Park Seonghwa’s lips are, always parted a little bit to reveal a set of perfect white teeth.

Hongjoong might have a tiny crush.

“So, as I was saying.” He turns back to Mrs Lee who seems to have recovered from the earlier shock, now focusing her eyes on her hands, resting on her knees. Hongjoong feels a pang of regret, maybe he was too harsh with her.

“Given the fact that the boys have apologised and forgave each other, I believe the situation is solved for now. They will be both taken to the infirmary and have their wounds treated and I will ask their teachers to keep a close eye on them. I will personally inform you if anything like this happens again, but for now I do not believe that moving either of them from the collective they are familiar with is advisable.”

He remains silent a few seconds, waiting to see if any of them are going to contradict him, but when they don’t, he lifts himself off the chair.

“That being said, if there aren’t any other problems, I think we are done here. I appreciate all of you coming.” He tries to make eye contact with everyone, a sincere smile playing on the corner of his lips.

Mrs Lee ignores him as she raises herself from the chair, exiting the room in 3 long strides with a pointed bow of her head. Hongjoong’s smile turns a little bitter. He’s really starting to regret embarrassing her like that.

A low cough turns his attention on the two men left in the room as the door slams shut behind the woman. Jung Wooyoung has risen from his chair as well but Park Seonghwa is still seated, his eyes trained on Hongjoong, a more guarded expression on his face.

“I can see that everything was solved very quickly.” The man begins and there he goes again with that low voice of his. Hongjoong wonders if he sings. He sounds like he would be an amazing singer. Ok, Hongjoong is definitely crushing on one of his student’s dads.

“But, if you don’t mind me asking,” Seonghwa continues “what exactly is this situation you are talking about.”

“Oh, right.” Hongjoong takes a seat again and he sees Wooyoung mimicking him. “I’m sorry, Mr Park, I should have explained everything when you arrived.”

“Just Seonghwa is fine.” The man murmurs and Hongjoong’s knees go a little weak under his desk. He tries to hide it with a smile.

“Seonghwa.” He repeats. The name tastes just right on his tongue and he feels his smile brighten as Seonghwa lips twitch with a small smile of his own. A short cough from Seonghwa’s right brings him back to the matter at hand and he feels his cheeks heat up as he meets Wooyoung’s amused eyes.

“I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier. I’m Kim Hongjoong.” He says, offering a hand to be shaken over the table. Seonghwa’s hand is bigger than his, fully covering Hongjoong’s in a warm, solid hold. He retracts it quickly, afraid he might cling on the other if he doesn’t. He coughs once, partly to clear his throat, partly to buy himself a few seconds to try to ignore how Seonghwa’s warmth still clings to his fingers.

“The reason we called you here today is because Yeosang got into a fight with one of his classmates, Lee Joon. That was his mo..”

“Wait a minute.” Seonghwa interrupts him. “Yeosang got into a fight?” he asks incredulously. “My Yeosang??” His tone is not aggravated as Mrs Lee has been, he seems genuinely confused and honestly, Hongjoong kind of understands him.

“I am afraid so.” He answers gravely.

“He’s fine, hyung.” Wooyoung adds from besides Seonghwa. “There was a misunderstanding, but they both apologised.”

Hongjoong thinks it’s an overly summarised version, and he can see how the lack of details is confusing the other man even more.

“What misunderstanding?” Seonghwa’s tone goes even lower, but even now when he is all serious, Hongjoong can still hear the gentleness and warmth that the man seems to generally exude.

“I think it’s best if Yeosang explains it to you.” Wooyoung replies, giving Hongjoong a fugitive glance. It is quite obvious the subject should be discussed in private and Seonghwa seems to get the idea. Honestly, no matter how much Hongjoong loves being involved, this seems to be a pretty sensitive subject so he completely understands.

“Ok then, I’ll speak to him” Seonghwa murmurs, the frown on his forehead diming but not completely disappearing.

The smile Wooyoung rewards him with is a little sour but trying to be encouraging. As is the hand he places on Seonghwa’s thigh, squeezing a little what seems to be well defined muscle.

Hongjoong feels the warm little thing inside his chest get crushed at the intimate gesture. It gets stuck in his throat along with his foolish empty hopes and he coughs to get rid of them.

The other two men turn to him and he feels his ears heat up once more, along with the high of his cheekbones. He tries to think of something to say, anything to distract them for his reddening face.

“I’m sorry you had to come all the way over here for a few minutes, but I do appreciate that you both are willing to turn up whenever Yeosang needs you.” He blurs out, a little breathy and still blushing.

It seems to do the trick though, as Park Seonghwa’s face lightens up, a soft smile pulling at the corner of his lips. For a second Hongjoong feels a little proud for making the man smile, but then the smile grows and wow, ok abort mission his poor heart can’t take this abuse.

He is saved by the door opening suddenly and Hongjoong really doesn’t know what he did to deserve Yunho in his life but he promises he’ll be more grateful from now on.

“Hey hyung, are you done here? Mingi is here to discuss the schedule for next week.” His secretary asks, casting a look around the room. “If you’re busy I can tell him to come later.” He adds after noticing the others.

“Oh no, we should be going anyway.” Wooyoung is quick to jump on his legs. “Right, Seonghwa?”

Hongjoong turns towards Seonghwa to find him already staring at him. He snaps out of it right as Hongjoong looks him in the eyes, a dust of pink settling on his cheeks.

If Hongjoong would still be into poetry as he was back in university he bets he could fill a notebook with praises for sparkling eyes, soft smiles and shy blushes. He feels like he has fireflies inside his chest, filling him with warm light but also chocking him slowly.

“Right, right.” The other man cough awkwardly, raising himself to follow Wooyoung, who is already half way to the door.

“I took Yeosang to the infirmary.” Hongjoong hears Yunho explain to the two men as he, too, follows them outside his office. He’s two steps behind Seonghwa and he can’t help but notice how the dress shirt stretches perfectly over his broad shoulders. He is half tempted to bury his face in between his shoulder blades, their height difference perfect for that. But he won’t. He still has some dignity left to protect.

Hopefully.

“You can pick him up from there now if you want or you can come at the end of the day too. Whatever you prefer.” Yunho continues to explain.

“We’ll pick him up now since we are already here.” Seonghwa decides.

They are nearing the exit from the secretary office and as much as Hongjoong is relieved that he can’t embarrass himself any longer, he also dreads the idea that he won’t see Park Seonghwa until god knows when. Taken or not, Hongjoong won’t mind some eye candy from time to time.

“Thank you again for coming.” He starts in form of a goodbye. “And rest assured that we will be more careful with the kids so we will meet in better circumstances next time.”

Wooyoung give him a small smile, bowing his head shortly as he turns to leave. Hongjoong expects Seonghwa to do the same but again the man surprises him again as he holds his hand out. Hongjoong is momentarily confused until he realises the other wants to shake his hand so he hurries to do just that, his hand being fully engulfed again.

“It was nice meeting you.” Seonghwa’s voice is almost a whisper as he gives Hongjoong’s hand the softest shake before letting go. He follows Wooyoung out with another disarming smile throw behind him.

Hongjoong finds himself staring after them long after the door closes. And he would have happily stared more if not for Mingi’s booming voice.

“Hongjoong hyung is crushing on a dad!!!”

Hongjoong might have jumped a little at his friend’s scream. He turns around to find both Yunho and Mingi sitting at his secretary desk. He doesn’t know how he missed the red haired giant when he left his office but maybe Seonghwa’s broad shoulders are at fault.

“What the hell Mingi!” he whisper-screams back, a hand massaging at his chest. He desperately needs new friends. These ones will probably be his cause of death one day. “This is an educational institution, you can’t scream like that!” He wonders if Seonghwa and Wooyoung were far enough by now to not hear that. God, if they heard Hongjoong is gonna rip Mingi in pieces.

“I don’t care, you’re crushing on a daadd!” the other singsongs, making ugly kissy faces at Hongjoong.

“Babe, hate to break your fun, but you are kinda in love with a dad as well.” Yunho pips up from next to his over excited husband.

“Shush babe, it doesn’t count.” Mingi scolds back, one hand slowly sliding in Yunho’s. “We adopted Jongho together. Hyung is crushing on someone else’s dad!” 

“That makes no sense.” Hongjoong scowls. “And it doesn’t matter. He’s taken anyway.” He tries not to let his disappointment be shown but from Yunho’s pitched eyebrows he’s not doing such a great job.

“Who, the shorty?” Mingi asks, as oblivious to the atmosphere of the room as always. Hongjoong has the urge to contradict him, he himself being shorter than Wooyoung, but decides he doesn’t have energy for that conversation.

“Well, look at the bright side hyung.” He says at Hongjoong’s short nod. “If that’s his type, if they ever break up then you definitely have a chance.”

Hongjoong finds out he is not above chasing his staff around the kindergarten while trying to keep his vocabulary as child friendly as possible. Thankfully, the kids seem to think they are playing, a few of them even joining Hongjoong in his chase, their cute high voices filling the building with squeaks and laughter.


	2. I'm sky high

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the love you gave the first chapter. I hope you will enjoy this one as well!   
> Any feedback from you makes me happy, so leave a comment with what you think of the story so far.   
> Have a great weekend and stay safe everyone! See you next week! ♡

After a certain age, weekends become a must awaited break where you can just sleep, stay in bed or laze around the house for 48 hours. In Hongjoong’s case, this happened earlier than for others. So after 5 days of basically sleeping in his office chair, he can’t wait to get the whole weekend to himself.

Yunho and Mingi have other plans for him though.

“Come on, hyung. You haven’t went out with us since forever. When was the last time you had fun, hm?” Yunho pesters him Friday afternoon. It’s almost 5pm and the kids are starting to leave, a different car parking in front of the kindergarten every other minute.

“We have different views on fun, Yunho-yah. For me, staying in bed and listening to music or watching a movie is fun. Being in an enclosed space with lots of sweaty, drunk people, not so much.” He replies, trying to subtly keep an eye on which kid is leaving and with whom.

If anyone asks, it’s for security reasons. It doesn’t matter that every teacher is strictly instructed to only let authorised people pick the kids up. Or that he still has zero idea how 80% of the parents look like.

What he really does though, is keep an eye out for the shiny black SUV he saw Yeosang disappear into a few days ago.

“Nice!” he had whispered the first time he saw Park Seonghwa get out of the car, dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit, the elegant material hugging his body in all the right ways.

“Oh, that’s a Citroen C5 Aircross.” Yunho had whispered from behind him making Hongjoong jump a little. “That is indeed a very nice car. I didn’t know you were interested in cars, hyung.”

Hongjoong really wasn’t. He was more interested in the way the formal pants stretched across Seonghwa’s muscular thighs or how the suit jacket made his shoulders look broader.

He has no idea how cars work or how to recognize most of them. But the big, shiny car was indeed beautiful. It seemed to fit Seonghwa. Hongjoong could almost imagine some bright coloured plushies on the back seat and cute pictures of Yeosang on the board. Seonghwa probably has Disney songs blasting even when Yeosang isn’t driving with him. It would make a nice analogy to how cool and put together Seonghwa looked, but also him being all soft smiles, shy blushes and gentle words.

“Oh never mind, I get it.” Yunho laughed a few seconds later when Seonghwa reappeared in their line of sight, a sleepy Yeosang in his arms, the child’s yellow bag on one of his shoulders. Hongjoong might have cooed a little at the adorable sight. 

He only got to see Seonghwa twice since he met him, over five weeks ago. Given his inability to wake up before 10 am, he never gets to work in time to see the kids being dropped off and most of the days he is too busy to keep an eye on who’s leaving.

Having most of the staff formed of young teachers was a brilliant idea his godfather implemented even before Hongjoong bought the place. The bad part about it though, if you could call it so, was that every single day Hongjoong found one of them in his office, with another proposal for a class or an activity with the children. And Hongjoong would really hate to cut their enthusiasm short, so he is found analysing plans, budgets and safety measures that would need to be taken for stuff that most of the time isn’t even implemented.

It’s a lot of extra work, for everyone involved, but everything pays off when they have a different activity and the children are happily participating.

Hongjoong doesn’t really like to brag, but all teachers told him they had a lot of parents praise the new management.

“My daughter can’t wait to get to class every morning.” One of the moms tells Hongjoong one day when he sits in front of the kindergarten to see the kids off. He is most definitely not waiting to see if the black SUV is pulling up in the driveway. “Before, I had to basically drag her out of bed. But now she is the one waking me up, so excited about spending another day with her friends here. I’m really grateful for that.”

Hongjoong thanks her for the kind words, his smile not leaving his face for the rest of the day. (Not even when he sees Yeosang leaving with Wooyoung, like he does almost every day. He wonders what job Seonghwa has that doesn’t allow him to pick up Yeosang more often.)

“It’s not a club hyung, just a bar. They just opened and everyone says the atmosphere is great.” Yunho brings him back to the present.

“I don’t want to spend my free day third wheeling you and Mingi.” He whines, his eyes scanning the parking lot again.

“Promise we will keep it PG.” Yunho whines back from his seat. Hongjoong can hear him rapidly typing and most people would think he is working hard. Hongjoong knows he is probably just chatting with Mingi or something.

“You don’t keep it PG even in front of your son. What are you doing with Jongho anyway?”

“Mingi’s mom is taking him. She’s been complaining for weeks that we keep her only grandchild away from her.” He seems annoyed but Hongjoong can hear the gentle fondness behind it.

He knows very well how much Yunho loves Mingi’s parents and the other way around. The Song family always treated Yunho like he was their own, even more so after he and Mingi went public. Their acceptance might have made the rejection Yunho received from his own family even more painful, but Hongjoong was there to see how Mingi’s parents made Yunho move on after his own disowned him.

After Mingi and Yunho adopted Jongho three years ago, it was normal occurrence for them to wake up with Mingi’s mom at their doorsteps. The woman was even more attached to her grandchild than her son or son in law and honestly Hongjoong found her never ending affection a little scary. He is happy for his friends though. He can see that they are truly content with their little family.

He snaps out of it just in time to see Yeosang leave the kindergarten, his small hand holding tight on a stranger’s hand.

“Hey, who’s that?” he asks, maybe a little more urgently that intended. Yunho is by his side in seconds, leaning over the window to properly see the man and Yeosang reaching the parking lot.

“Oh, that’s one of Yeosang’s dad’s friends. He’s authorised.” He tells Hongjoong after a moment, already on his way back to his desk.

Hongjoong is left to stare as the man opens the door to a dark green car for Yeosang to hop in. The child’s little mouth seems to be running a mile a minute, something pretty uncharacteristic for Yeosang, but the man seems used to it, laughing and cooing over the child’s rant.

He’s stunningly beautiful, Hongjoong notes. With high cheekbones, playful, cat like eyes and a disarming dimpled smile. Hongjoong wonders if all of Seonghwa’s friends look like they are professional models. Oh, maybe that’s his job. It would make a lot of sense.

Cheekbones gets in the car and drives away, unaware of the dilemma he left Hongjoong in.

“So we’ll pick you up tomorrow at 8?” Yunho asks from the background.

“Yeah, sure.” He replies absently, his eyes following the dark green car.

He most definitely doesn’t feel a pang of disappointment for not seeing Seonghwa today. Now he has to wait until Monday for another chance of catching a glimpse of him. Maybe his crush is getting a little out of hand, he sighs deeply, dragging his feet back into his office, ignoring whatever Yunho is blabbing about.

Maybe Hongjoong should learn to pay more attention to his surroundings. Maybe he should spend less time in his own head, and more listening to what is being said. Maybe then he won’t be taken by surprise when his friends loudly knock on his door on Saturday at 7 sharp.

“I knew you would be like this.” Is the first thing Yunho says when he opens the door, pushing Hongjoong aside to invite himself and Mingi inside. There is pure disgust on his face, not suiting his usually gentle face, as he checks Hongjoong’s outfit. It’s only a pair of grey sweatpants and an old black t-shirt, the AC/DC letters on the front almost completely washed out. On his defence, he was just watching a movie, enjoying takeout.

“Hyung, I told you yesterday we’ll pick you up at 8.” Yunho complains as he drags the smaller man towards the bedroom.

“What? No you didn’t! What for? Hey! Don’t touch that!” he screams back at Mingi who seems to have found his noodles.

“We are going to Horizon! And yes, I told you and you agreed but I guess you were too busy day dreaming about Park Seonghwa!”

It’s really uncharacteristic for Yunho to get mad, so Hongjoong knows better than to argue back. Instead he takes a seat on his bed as Yunho rummages through his closet for an appropriate attire.

Horizon is a small thing, hidden in a narrow alley Hongjoong would have never given a second glace, let alone venture in. The place is classy, all dark surfaces and soft lights. There is a stage on one side of it, a grand piano on it but otherwise deserted, and a small dance ring in front of it. Hongjoong eyes the piano curiously. He hasn’t touched one in years, wonders if the keys would still feel as smooth and familiar under his fingers.

Right in the middle is the bar, a shiny long board of dark hardwood, the wall behind filled with bottles that reflect the lights back in the pub. Hongjoong has to praise the interior designer for placing the lights just right to obtain a mellowed disco ball effect from the bottles.

On the other side of the bar there are tables, made of the same dark wood, chairs with red, velvet pillows around them. There’s barely an empty table and Hongjoong wonders if you need to reserve one. Yunho leads them to one of the few empty tables towards the back. The music is at a pleasant volume, r&b tunes high enough to cover any awkward silence, but not too loud to hinder the conversation.

“I’ll get us drinks. The usual?” Mingi asks as the other two sit down. Hongjoong nods silently, still observing the place. There are a few groups, but the tables are occupied mostly by couples. Now that he thinks about it, the atmosphere could be considered romantic. The song changes to what Hongjoong recognizes as one of Code Kunst’s songs. He sways a little with the rhythm as Yunho smiles at him.

“I told you you needed an outing.” He says, turning his head when Mingi comes from the bar, tall glasses in hand. Hongjoong graciously takes his gin tonic as he mouths along to the lyrics of Don’t shoot me mama.

“So…” he starts after Mingi sits down. “What are you guys up to these days?”

“Hyung, we see each other every day.” Mingi laughs

“Yeah, but all we talk is work and kids.” Hongjoong whines, taking a sip of his drink. It’s made just right, the mint not overshadowing the bitter of the gin. He hums satisfied. Maybe Yunho was right, he needed to get out of the house. “How’s Jongho? I haven’t seen him in weeks.”

“He’s well. He seems to be adapting well to the new class.” Yunho replies. One of his hands is grasping around his wine glass but the other rests casually under the table. Hongjoong squints his eyes when he sees Mingi’s hand also hidden under but he lets it go for now. “He even made a friend.”

“Oh really?” he asks. Jongho was always a charming kid, but for some reason the kids his age seem to find him intimidating.

“Mm mm. You won’t believe who.” Mingi giggles, his glass of red wine almost half gone already. Hongjoong raises a curious eyebrow, both at his antics and the way he just inhaled his drink. “Yeosangie!” the overgrown puppy announces loudly.

The people seated next to them turn around at the noise and Hongjoong has half of an apology out before he recognises the faces.

“Oh I knew you guys sounded familiar!” Jung Wooyoung exclaims, fully turning towards them. The man next to him also turns and Hongjoong recognizes him as the one that picked Yeosang up yesterday. Up close he is even more beautiful, his eyes darting curiously around. 

“Wooyoung! Sanie!” Mingi salutes them, loudly again. Hongjoong would consider taking his glass away if he wouldn’t know that it’s not alcohol that makes him like this.

“Hello!” Wooyoung replies, the other man, Sanie, bowing his head slightly. “Hi Yunho, Hongjoong. This is San.” He introduces. “San, you know Mingi. This is his husband Yunho and that is Kim Hongjoong, the new principal at Yeosang’s kindergarten.”

“Choi San.” The man introduces himself, hoping off his chair to shake their hands shortly. His voice is smooth, pleasant, a dimpled smile adorning his face and turning his eyes into kind crescents.

“Nice to meet you.” Hongjoong inclines his head when the man stops in front of him. The corners of the other's lips lift a little more, his eyes shining with what seems to be mischief.

“So you are Kim Hongjoong. I heard a lot about you” he smirks and Hongjoong can feel a blush starting to heat his face.

“Good things, I hope.” He tried to smile it off, throwing a quick glance towards Wooyoung. The other man seems preoccupied with Yunho though.

“Oh, definitely good things.” San’s smirk gets even wider, remind Hongjoong of the Cheshire cat. Hongjoong can feel his ears burning and he squirms uncomfortably in his seat.

“Sanie, don’t scare Hongjoong hyung.” Wooyoung jumps to his rescue, dragging the man away from Hongjoong’s personal space, right between his legs as he back hugs him. Hongjoong blinks in confusion.

“Why don’t you join us?” Yunho asks from behind him. “Unless you guys are on a date, we wouldn’t want to impose.”

“We would love too.” San jumps at the offer, his smirk dissolving back into a gentle smile. Hongjoong blinks at the duality but decides to let it go.

He scoots his chair closer to Mingi so they can accommodate Wooyoung and San to their table. They continue their conversation about Yeosang and Jongho’s blooming friendship and the next thing he knows is that everyone is laughing their ass off at the story of how Mingi managed to get locked outside the house in just a towel.

“It was at that moment that I realised we are raising a devil.” Mingi whispers dramatically, sending them in another fit of laughter.

“From what Yeosang tells us, Jongho seems like the sweetest child.” San says, leaning heavily on Wooyoung’s shoulder. Hongjoong wonders if he is reading too much into their actions. Maybe they are just close friends.

“He is the sweetest.” Yunho replies, his voice gaining that extra soft tone he uses only when talking about his son. Or Mingi. Or puppies.

“I know what you are saying though. Yeosang has his own mischievous moments and sometimes he’s way too sassy for his age.” Wooyoung says, in a similar voice. “But he is the most precious little thing. We can’t stay angry at him for more than two minutes.”

“You seem very close with him and with his dad too. You’ve known each other for a long time?” Hongjoong can’t help but ask. San turns towards him and while the playful glint is still there in his eyes, it seems gentler now, maybe even fond.

“Yeah we go way back. We went to high school together, Wooyoung, Seonghwa and I. We kind of lost touch during university, but when Yeosang … um… got in the picture Seonghwa was looking for a paediatrician so he called Wooyoung.” He explains.

“Oh, you are a paediatrician? I didn’t know.” Hongjoong asks Wooyoung. The later just smiles at him but there is something strange in both his and San’s smile.

“What about you, San? What do you do?” Yunho asks, sensing the strange mood.

“Oh, I’m a dance teacher.” The man answers, going back to being chirpy. “I’m working for a small studio, mainly with kids.”

“That is so cool! Mingi and I used to dance, we were part of a crew in high school.” Yunho laughs.

“Oh so you guys also go way back!” Wooyoung exclaims. Yunho nods happily.

“Yeah, we actually grew up together.”

“So you are basically the childhood friends turned lovers troupe.” San giggles.

“Basically, yes.” Yunho laughs, giving his husband a downright sugary smile. Hongjoong would puke if he wasn’t so happy for his best friends.

“So what about you guys?” Mingi asks, chin pointed towards the newcomers. “Since when are you together?”

“Since high school.” Wooyoung replies, his hand fitting right into San’s on the table. Ok, Hongjoong is definitely not reading too much into it. Did he assume the wrong thing about Wooyoung and Yeosang’s dad that day?

“Our ten year anniversary is coming up next month.” San says gently, his eyes locking into Wooyoung for a short moment. And Hongjoong can see it now. The look they share is so warm and intimate he almost feels ashamed for invading their privacy. They break the moment quickly, even if soft smiles remain on their faces.

“What about you, hyung?” Wooyoung takes him by surprise, turning towards Hongjoong. There is twin mischief on his and San’s face as they smile towards him. Hongjoong has a feeling he has fallen into a trap.

“Um… what about me?” he asks slowly, preoccupying himself with his almost empty glass to avoid their eyes.

“Any special girl in your life?” San asks. Hongjoong doesn’t miss the emphasis on the girl part. He feels the blush burning high on his cheekbones but before he can answer Mingi jumps at the occasion.

“Hyung is too busy working and gay panicking over pretty boys for that.”

“HEY!” Hongjoong screams offended for some reason. The rest of the table erupts into laughter.

“I knew it.” Wooyoung exclaims through wheezes of laughter. “No offense hyung, but you are too pretty to be straight. It’ll be a damn waste.”

Hongjoong doesn’t know if he should thank him for the compliment. He sets for a quick spur of indignation, his face burning as he hides it in his hands.

“Don’t worry, hyung” a gentle hand settles on his shoulder and he lifts his face just enough to make eye contact with San. “We know someone else who is just like you.” 

“Oh don’t remind me!” Wooyoung’s loud voice grabs Hongjoong’s attention. “Someone hasn’t stopped raving about pretty boys in weeks!”

“Oh really?” Yunho asks, amusement clear on his face. Hongjoong thinks he must be missing something, but as long as they are not focused on embarrassing him he can’t complain.

“Seriously. This hyung has been driving us crazy. If I have to listen to him rant one more time about how pretty his crush is or how he has the softest, tiniest hands ever I’ll perish.” San whines, dramatically throwing himself over Wooyoung’s chest. Everyone at the table laughs but Hongjoong can’t help feel self-conscious for some reason.

“Hongjoong hyung too!” Mingi exclaims suddenly and Hongjoong can feel his heart jumping up his throat. “He keeps going on and on about how good thighs look in suit paints and broad sh-“

“I’m gonna grab another drink.” Hongjoong cuts him off, jumping off his chair before he can combust in thin air out of pure embarrassment. If he thought he was blushing before he probably looks like a ripped tomato now. “Anyone wants something?” he asks just to be courteous, already one step away from the table.

“Another round for us too.” Mingi asks, gesturing towards him and Yunho. Hongjoong can’t believe the traitor still has the courage to speak. He makes a mental note to repay Mingi for his ‘kindness’ soon.

“I’ll help you.” Wooyoung jumps off his chair, following Hongjoong in the short walk to the bar. They order a new set of drinks and sit quietly while the bartender prepares them.

“Can I see you phone for a minute, hyung?” Wooyoung asks, hand already extended.

“Wanna exchange numbers?” Hongjoong hands it over, the dial pad already opened. Wooyoung’s smile is a little too mysterious for him to be comfortable.

“Yeah, that too.” The younger replies, handing the phone back after a few moments.

The drinks are ready and Wooyoung doesn’t waste another second, taking the tray off the bar and walking back towards their table.

Hongjoong stops to take a glance at his phone. On the screen he sees two new entries to his contacts, one of them under the name of the man that just walked off, the other under another familiar name, a sparkling heart attached to it.

He feels his face catching fire with how violently he blushes, seriously considering ditching his friends in favour of going home to scream in his pillow. He promised Yunho though and he knows it’ll be extremely rude to leave without a word.

Thankfully, when he gets back to the table everyone is involved into a rather deep discussion of who has a bigger mouth. The night carries on in a light hearted way, the only eventful part being San and Mingi trying to fit their glasses into their mouth in order to show their big mouth dominance.

In the end Hongjoong doesn’t regret going out. He gets home around 2 am, pleasantly buzzed from the alcohol and the good company. He would have forgotten about the new number he has into his phone, if not for Wooyoung whispering “Use my gift wisely!” to him before they split ways.

He does not use it wisely. In fact, he does not use it at all except for staring blankly at it at least 3 times a day. He even opens the text message chat a few times and one brave night he even types a “Hi” before he furiously deletes it, shuts down his phone and throws it to the other side of the bed.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to contact Seonghwa. He very much wants to. But each time he gathers the courage to do it, the darker side of his mind stops him. Honestly, he can’t stop thinking that there are a lot more reasons to not text Seonghwa than to do it.

Firstly, he did not get the number directly from him. As much as he likes to think that Wooyoung wouldn’t have given it without knowing Seonghwa would be ok with it, he still cannot be sure that Seonghwa won’t feel like he violated his privacy.

Secondly, what would he even say? “Hi, I know we only met once but you’re kinda hot and cute and your friend gave me your number”?? It sounds stupid and honestly the type of situation a middle schooler would go through. While Hongjoong was never one to frown at immaturity – he works with kids for a reason – he has no idea how Seonghwa would feel about this. At the moment, the man is a total mystery to Hongjoong. Yes, he seemed shy and even blushed during their first meeting, but he also dresses like he means business and, from what Hongjoong observed, seems like a composed, level headed adult.

And lastly, and maybe the real reason he hesitates for, Hongjoong was never the type to take the first step in this kind of situation. No matter how much he refuses to acknowledge it, he was always afraid of putting himself out there, even in trivial ways like this. He was always scared that his eagerness or affection would be viewed as clinginess or even desperation.

That’s why the few and far in between relationships he had were always initiated by the other party. Even with his friends he always tries not to let his mind go in dark places when someone doesn’t reply to his messages in time or fight the worry when he sends more messages than he receives. The idea of his actions being seen as too much was always one of his biggest insecurities and even after years of trying to fight it, he still gets anxious when he needs to reach to someone first.

It’s a chilly Monday morning and Hongjoong wakes up after his fifth alarm goes off, the loud noise making his whole bed vibrate. He wakes up at 8, a whole hour later than he planned the night before.

He has a meeting with his accountant at 8:30 and he’s been dreading it since they set it up. The man insisted on meeting early so they can have enough time to go through the new budget for the kindergarten and Hongjoong agreed that waking up early for one day won’t kill him.

Apparently he was wrong because he most definitely feels dead now. He succeeds in getting ready and leaving his house in 20 minutes, even if his tie is just hanging around his neck, his shoelaces are undone and God if he doesn’t get 5 shots of espresso in him in the next 10 minutes he will certainly cease to exist.

He parks his car in the front of the building, not even bothering to drive it to the staff garage in the back, and speed walks as he texts Yunho to have his coffee ready.

“Good morning.” Someone greets from beside him and he blames it on the lack of sleep and caffeine deprival but he only nods and keeps walking. Only after he reaches the door does he properly register the voice.

He pauses, hand on the door handle as he turns around.

And ok, maybe he was in dire need of some astral intervention but did the universe really have to choose this moment? Now, when his hair hasn’t seen a comb since Friday morning and he probably still has pillow wrinkles carved into his skin?

But of course the universe must be cruel, even when it tries to help. Park Seonghwa looks like he was made to bask in the early morning sun. Hongjoong has to squint to actually be able to look at him, the sun light enveloping the man’s body like an aura.

For once, he is not wearing a suit, his outfit by far the most casual one Hongjoong ever saw him wear – but again Hongjoong only saw him like 3 times so far. The cream coloured sweater he’s wearing looks soft and warm, tucked loosely into a pair of dark jeans. Seonghwa’s hair is slightly curly, fluffed out like he just blow dried it, the first rays of sunshine getting caught into it, making him look even softer.

The man coughs awkwardly, a hand coming up to play with his fringe. It takes a few more seconds for Hongjoong to realise that he has been staring for a while. ‘Say something’ his mind begs but apparently it’s too early for his brain to mouth connections to work properly. ‘Oh God say something pleaseee..’

It takes another few seconds, and Seonghwa starting to actually squirm under his stare for Hongjoong to finally remember how words work. He regrets it immediately.

“Why are you here?” his tone is dull, his voice still raspy with sleep, but the message is clearly delivered.

Seonghwa stops fidgeting, his lips parting in shock, confusion or maybe even indignation. Hongjoong feels like someone just poured ice on top of his head, the cold slowly traveling down his body as mortification settles in.

“Umm... I’m here to drop off Yeosang?” Seonghwa actually answers him, ending it almost like a question, like he doesn’t know either. And it’s only fair, Hongjoong can’t for the love of god imagine why Seonghwa is still here, putting up with his stupidity.

“Oh my god, that is not…” he finally gets a hold of himself, taking a step towards the other, a hand coming to… to what exactly he has no idea. “That’s not what I meant! I’m so sorry!” he sputters, dread pinning him down, making his words crash into each other as he tries to find an explanation for what he just said. “That was so rude... oh god… I am sooo sorry… fuck... I mean no… sorry I didn’t mean to… That wasn’t for you! I did not mean to curse at you! That was for me! I’m just... sorry.” He realises he gets louder and louder with each word that comes out stumbling from his lips and he takes a second to breathe, maybe bite his tongue off because it is obviously useless at the moment.

To his surprise, Seonghwa chuckles lowly, his lips getting pulled into that warm smile of his, the one that makes Hongjoong’s whole being freeze, like he’s hanging on time itself for am infinite moment. His eyes crinkle slightly, the warmth in them making Hongjoong feel as if his soul is melting, draining into a content little puddle at Seonghwa’s feet.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” The literal angel speaks, amusement clinging on the end of his words.

Hongjoong take a deep breath, the crisp morning air burning his lungs, the ache waking him up a little more.

“I’m sorry for that.” He says again, this time calm and coherent. “I’m not properly awake yet. What I meant to say was: Good morning to you too.” He finishes, risking to make eye contact with the other.

And Hongjoong said it before and he’ll probably say it in the future too, but damn if there is a god they certainly took their time making this human.

Seonghwa is smiling at him again, this time more softly, less amusement and more fondness, the sun a little brighter behind him, making Hongjoong squint his eyes to be able to properly see him. If Hongjoong would be allowed a moment to rant, he’ll say something cringe like how Seonghwa’s eyes shine brighter than the sunrise. Instead all he gets is the opportunity to die a little more inside as Seonghwa offers him the softest “Hello.” In the history of hellos.

The smaller man is left once again defenceless, wondering what he did to deserve such sweet torture.

The silence that follows is a lot less awkward than the one before, maybe because it seems to be Seonghwa’s turn to stare at Hongjoong, all sparkly eyes and small smiles, like he actually enjoys watching the mess that Hongjoong is at 8am.

“So… you dropped Yeosang off?” Hongjoong asks slowly, trying to break the silence once more. Seonghwa hums and nods, his eyes still set on him. Hongjoong can feel his neck and ears starting to burn in spite of the chilly air.

“Yeah, just left him with Mingi. I must say it’s a surprise to see you.” Seonghwa says. “A pleasant one.” He adds when he notices Hongjoong’s developing frown. “I just didn’t expect… you aren’t usually here in the morning.”

Hongjoong resists the urge to ask how he knows that. It’ll probably cut the conversation again.

“Mmh, I’m not much of a morning person. I usually get here around noon.” He says instead. To his surprise Seonghwa nods, like this is not new information to him.

“Mingi told me.” The other explains. Oh, Mingi. The giant better enjoy his last hours. On another hand, a little bud of hope starts blooming in Hongjoong’s heart: did Seonghwa ask Ming about him? Or did Mingi just randomly blur out facts about Hongjoong? Knowing Mingi, it’s not impossible.

“So how come you are here so early?” Seonghwa disturbs his train of thoughts and Hongjoong dreadfully realises that he has been smiling stupidly at the other for the last minute. He coughs once, to regain his composure more than anything.

“I have a meeting with my accountant. He’s really busy these days so it was either today at 8:30 or next month.” He sighs deeply, hand coming to run through his hair. He stops immediately when he realises he is just messing it up even more. “I honestly wouldn’t mind waiting till next month, the whole thing is absolutely draining. But we need a clear budget so we can plan the activities for this quarter.”

“Ahh, got it.” Seonghwa nods along, like he completely understands how much Hongjoong hates having to talk numbers for 3 hours. And it might be Hongjoong’s infatuation, but he does seem sincere.

“But Hongjoong…” the other starts, his left wrist coming up to display a simple, elegant watch “it’s 5 minutes past 9.” He finishes, half a smile playing in the corner of his lips.

Hongjoong is momentarily too struck about the way his name sounds coming from Seonghwa, or the way the watch makes his wrist look delicate but strong at the same time. He wonders if he could fully circle Seonghwa’s wrist with only one of his hands.

“Hongjoong.” The other calls out, helping him get rid of the sudden daze.

“What was that?” he asks, his mind still a few second behind. “Ah, 5 minutes after 9 you said? That’s okay I still have…” he cuts off abruptly, eyes widening in realisation. “Fuck…” he whispers in horror. Mr. Jeon will murder him.

He takes a step behind, but pauses in the middle of turning and running for his office, realising how impolite that would be.

“I’m sorry. I should really go!” he turns back to say his goodbye before making his way back to the door.

His hand is on the handle again when he feels a grip around his free wrist. He turns around to face Seonghwa who is suddenly very close, looking as shocked as Hongjoong feels.

“I’m sorry!” the other rushes to excuse himself, hand leaving Hongjoong’s but his warmth remaining engraved there. “I… sorry…” the other begins, words seemingly stuck in his throat. There’s something akin to anxiety, maybe even fear swimming in his eyes and Hongjoong release the door handle for a second time today, turning to give the man his full attention. It is obvious that the other is making a big effort to say whatever he’s trying to say.

“Can I... umm… can I… text you?” the words are almost a whisper to the end and Hongjoong has to lean a little in to catch them. It is worth the wait and the effort as he feels like he just swallowed the whole sunrise itself, the feeling settling in his stomach as a hot chocolate during a snow storm.

“Yeah.” He answers simply, feeling the same smitten smile trying to conquer his face. “I really have to go… but I look forward to that.” He goes on, his words also almost a whisper. Seonghwa smiles, looking anxious and relieved at the same time.

Hongjoong takes that as a farewell, finally entering the building with a short wave directed to the other.

He’s half way to his office, the carpet on the hallways suddenly feeling like cotton candy, before he realises something is wrong.

“Wait!” he shouts as he runs back outside. To his surprise Seonghwa is still in the exact same place he left him. “You don’t have my number.” He breathes harshly, leaning heavily on the opened door.

Seonghwa’s initial surprise fades into a more sheepish expression.

“I actually do. Wooyoung gave it to me.” He murmurs, like a child waiting to be scolded.

Maybe if Hongjoong wasn’t in a hurry or if it wasn’t ass o’clock in the morning he would have dwelt more into what Seonghwa just said. Given the situation though he just nods once already going back inside.

“Perfect. Text me!” he shouts back as the door closes behind him, already sprinting again.

As he enters his office, Yunho waiting for him with a huge cup of coffee, he realises he is completely awake and aware. Seonghwa’s presence just woke him up better than a triple shot Americano would.


	3. Because I'm holding you

Seonghwa doesn’t text him for the rest of the day. Hongjoong waits and waits, checking his phone every 10 minutes, just in case he missed the notification, but his inbox remains empty. This doesn’t go unnoticed, Yunho giving him confused looks every now and then. Even Mr Jung, the accountant asks him if he is expecting an important call. He sets the phone aside, trying to focus on the meeting but he still risks a glance at it from time to time. To his disappointment, the screen remains black.

The budget plans keep him busy for the rest of the day, even after Mr Jung takes his leave around 1pm. His desk remains filled with the proposed activities he received from each teacher as well as the bills and accountant registers. By 3pm his head aches and his eyes drop lower with each digit he sees.

To be fair, he was always more inclined to the arts and linguistics than towards math and even if in time he got a lot better at understanding the economic parts of running a business, he still has to make an effort to focus on it. A mistake wouldn’t be that disastrous considering that this is just a general plan, but the perfectionist in him wants to have everything done properly from the start. He would hate to go back to correct this in a few weeks just because his mind was preoccupied with warm smiles and pretty eyes at the moment.

As the clock strikes 5pm he decides to call it a day. His head feels like it’s splitting in half and he can barely see the papers in front of him in spite of the four coffees he had. He grabs his keys and heads out with only a low grunt directed to Yunho. The other knows better than to question his mood, waving silently from his computer.

The drive home passes in a daze, his body working on auto pilot, mind filled with static noise and eyes probably bloodshot. He doesn’t remember unlocking his door or taking off his shoes, crashing on his bed still in his work clothes. As he struggles to take his tie off, eyes shut, he realises he didn’t check who picked Yeosang up today. He signs deeply, already half asleep as he drags the blanket over his head.

He wakes up a few times through the night, but refuses to leave the bed, stubbornly clenching his eyes shut until he falls back asleep. In the end he spends the night more half-awake than actually sleeping. He gives up trying as the sky starts to colour pink. He forgot to close the curtains and the light hits him directly in the face.

He groans loudly, kicking his blanket in annoyance. He seriously considers texting Yunho to let him know that he won’t go to work today. He stumbles around the bed, hand blindly searching for his phone, his eyes still refusing to stay open more than a few seconds, but to no avail. He tries to remember when the last time he used it was but his mind is still foggy. He ends up falling back asleep for what feels like seconds but when he opens his eyes, there is significantly more light in the room, the sun almost fully up.

He ends up getting ready for work in a daze, mechanical movements leading him around the house. At some point he realises he left his phone on his desk at work but he’s too busy concentrating on tying his shoelaces to worry about it. By the time he gets to his office his mind finally catches up with his actions, starting to beg for coffee.

“You look like shit.” Mingi is the first person he sees, the red head occupying Yunho’s usual chair.

“Thanks.” Hongjoong replies, his voices scratching its way out of his throat. He realises he didn’t drink any water since yesterday and heads towards the little kitchen next to Yunho’s desk. There’s coffee already made and waiting for him but he forces himself to drink some water first.

“But really, did you get any sleep? You look worse than yesterday.” Mingi’s voice follows him, his friend getting up to help himself to a cup of coffee as well.

“Mmm. I slept too much actually.”

“Yunho was worried, you know.” The taller says, his voice uncharacteristically grave. Hongjoong raises an eyebrow in a silent question, humming to show that he is paying attention. “He said you left in your zombie mode yesterday and didn’t answer any of his texts. He was worried something might have happened on your way home.”

“I was sleeping.” Hongjoong grunts back, the hot coffee warming him from inside out.

“That’s what I told him but you know how he gets. You should have at least texted him when you got home.”

“Sorry, I forgot my phone here.” Hongjoong murmurs, walking into his office to look for the device.

He still feels a little absent, like his mind is still dormant, his body moving more by the force of habit than a conscious decision. In spite of having slept way too much, his body is still not used to being awake at 9am.

He finds his phone on his desk, amongst all the papers he abandoned yesterday. Just the sigh of them makes his stress level skyrocket. He wonders if it’s too late to go back home. He could just get back in the car and be in bed in a few minutes. Leave all this work for tomorrow, let future Hongjoong deal with it. It is so tempting, even if he knows he’s gonna hate himself tomorrow. But as he sits in his chair he knows it’s already too late to go back. He probably wouldn’t be able to rest anyway.

He sighs. Mingi blabbers about something Jongho did yesterday in the background. “… and he has to do this family tree thing for Siyeon’s class…“ Hongjoong wonders where Yunho is. Yunho knows to not bother him in the morning. “… you should see how pretty his tree is. He’s seriously talented. I see kids draw everyday day so I should know.”

Mingi should also know that Hongjoong is not functional until he finished his second coffee, but the giant probably doesn’t care. “… his drawing is also beautiful, he showed it to me earlier and Seonghwa said …”

“Seonghwa?” he interrupts, his mind catching on the name, like a fish in the hook.

“Now I’ve got your attention, eh?” Mingi smirks from where is lazily draped over Hongjoong’s couch. Hongjoong resists the urge to throw his stapler at him. “Anyways, I heard you met him yesterday.”

“How do you know that?”

“He told me today when he dropped Yeosang off.”

Hongjoong is suddenly reminded of their conversation, more exactly of how it ended. He grabs his phone, finger sliding over the fingerprint sensor by reflex. There are a few notifications, two missed calls from Yunho and a few messages.

“Seriously, hyung, I think you have a chance. The guy seems interested and I don’t remember when the last time you crushed so hard on someone was.” Mingi still talks, but Hongjoong barely registers his words.

He has some messages from Yunho, one from Mingi, but there is also a new chat box opened. The only message in it is dated three hours ago – why the fuck was Seonghwa awake at 6 am? – and it’s only consisted of two words but Hongjoong feels his heart bloom in pure happiness as he sees them.

Seonghwa wished him a ‘ _Good morning!_ ’

“Mingi, shut up.” He absently tells his friend, finger instinctively typing back a ‘morning~’. Maybe his mind is still asleep because usually he would definitely worry more about his reply. But he waited for this for long enough. After all, the first step was taken, it would be a waste of both their efforts to delay it more now.

He sets the phone back down, screen down so he doesn’t get distracted. He doesn’t expect Seonghwa to reply right away, the man is probably at work by now. He should focus on his work as well. Seonghwa told him to have a good morning so he will make sure it will be a good one. The warm, fluttery feeling settling in his chest is definitely a great start.

He starts by gathering the papers on his desk, trying to organize them according to their priority. Mingi continues his rambling in the background. Hongjoong had learnt a long time ago that sometimes he just needs to let the other talk. It’s a way of letting out steam for Mingi. For Hongjoong, is like having the radio on while he works, the other’s low voice strangely helping him concentrate. He catches phrases here and there and he makes sure to hum from time to time.

Yunho appears after some time, stopping in the doorway when he notices the two of them in the office. Hongjoong meets his eyes with an apologetic smile and a mouthed greeting. Mingi doesn’t seem to notice him at all, continuing his story about the game his class played yesterday. Yunho’s face splits in the softest smile, the one reserved for Mingi only, before he approaches the couch. Absolutely endearing until Yunho pushes him off the couch.

“What the hell are you doing here? Gahyeon has been waiting for you to start the class for half an hour now!” he yells over Mingi’s cries.

“I was keeping hyung company!” Mingi fights back like Yunho interrupted him from the most important task there could be.

“You are not getting paid for that. Get the hell out!” Mingi ends up being chased out of Hongjoong’s office. Hongjoong can still hear their bickering outside his office for a while and then some other sounds that are less child, or even public, friendly.

“GO TO CLASS!” he screams, hopefully loud enough for them to stop. He will not leave the safety of his desk for this. He had a few slightly traumatic experiences before and he is not in dire hurry to see any of that again. Thankfully, he hears a series of giggles, a door opening and closing and then blessed silence.

It’s been more than an hour since he came to work, his mug half empty, the coffee already cold. He gets up to refill it, instinctively reaching for his phone before he remembers he should not be distracted – to be read: stare at Seonghwa’s text for the rest of the day. But then the phone vibrates, sign that he has missed notifications. It probably is some email or news but he can’t help himself.

Turns out it is not some random notification and Seonghwa is not too busy to text him in the middle of the day. 

_“You are up early today too.”_

He texted him, only a few minutes after Hongjoong’s message. He entertains the idea of Seonghwa waiting for his reply but banishes the thought. It doesn’t stop his ears from burning hot though.

_“i went to sleep early yesterday”_

He leaves his phone and goes to get some more coffee. Yunho is not in his office and Hongjoong is somehow grateful that he doesn’t have to explain the stupid smile on his face. He should apologise for making his friend worry though. So, like any functioning almost 30 years old adult, he grabs a sticky note and a pen from Yunho’s desk and writes a messy ‘sorry~’. He adds a quick drawing of a sad puppy because Yunho is a sucker for puppies, before sticking it on his laptop. 

There is already a reply from Seonghwa when he gets back to his desk and his blush is crawling on his face now. Is the other really waiting for Hongjoong’s messages or he just happens to be on his phone at the right time?

“ _Did you get a good rest?”_

_“not really… i was too tired and kept waking up during the night”_

_“now i’m more tired than yesterday haha”_

Is this too much? This is a question people usually reply with “good thank you and you?” isn’t it? Is he over sharing? Would Seonghwa think he’s weird?

_“I know what you mean. It happens to me too sometimes. It takes me hours to fall asleep when I’m too tired and then I sleep too much and I feel even worse.”_

Ok, maybe he doesn’t think it’s weird. Also, he replied instantly. Is it a coincidence? Hongjoong’s heart doesn’t seem to think so as it starts fluttering softly in his chest. There are 3 little dots blinking at the bottom of the screen and Hongjoong probably looks really dumb right now, smiling like an idiot at his phone. He should be too old to feel like this.

_“Does that mean you are too tired to go out for a drink tonight?”_

Hongjoong drops his phone.

“Fuck!” he whispers, uselessly trying to catch it. Thanks God he has carpet in his office, the phone falling with a muffled thud, tumbling once and landing screen up. It seems ok, the screen blinking once but going back to normal in a second.

Seonghwa’s text glares up at him and for some reason he is terrified to pick it up.

Is Seonghwa asking him out? Would that be a date? Is he flirting? It definitely sounds like he’s flirting. But then again this is a text message, how can he be sure? Maybe it’s just a friendly thing – like hey bro lets go out for a drink. It’s probably a friendly thing…

“Shit” he says out loud still staring at the phone on the floor. The phone just stares back. Hongjoong can feel its robotic circuits or pixels or whatever judging him.

It must be a friendly thing. He’s just not used to people talking like this since his friends usually send him an hour and a place and just expect him to show up. Or, if Mingi is feeling generous, a ‘get off your ass and lets get drunk’ text.

But then again… this sounds like flirting, teasing even. Maybe he’s reading too much into it? But Seonghwa smiled so prettily yesterday… and he seemed excited and a little anxious about texting him. Maybe he was only shy? Maybe that’s just how he generally acts? If that’s the case Hongjoong doesn’t think he can survive being just friends with someone who blushes so beautifully.

He blinks, eyes focusing on his screen again just in time to see a new text appearing. And then another… and then another. He picks the damn phone up even if it suddenly seems to weight a ton.

_“Was that too direct?”_

_“I’m sorry”_

_“Or are you busy tonight?”_

_“I should have asked that first”_

Hongjoong lets out a chuckle at the nervous downpour of texts. Maybe he is not the only one panicking over this. Somehow that eases his nerves a little, fingers already flying over his keyboard.

_“I’m not busy”_

_“a drink sounds nice”_

_“Really?”_

It’s cute. Park Seonghwa texts exactly how he speaks. A little shy but somehow always confident in his words.

_“really”_

_“where should we meet? what hour?”_

_“I finish work at 7pm today. Would that work for you? I can pick you up or send you the location.”_

It’s a small thing, but Hongjoong had boyfriends who would never ask him what was ok with him when they made plans. So he feels strangely warm at Seonghwa’s gesture.

_“I drove to work so I can meet you there just send me the location.”_

_“how far is it from your work?”_

_“is 7 ok or do you need more time to get there?”_

_“It takes me a few minutes but let’s say 7:15 just in case?”_

_“that sounds perfect.”_

‘Perfect’? He cringes a little. It sounds okay – a normal person would say. Great – another polite way to answer. But no, to Hongjoong that sounds ‘perfeeeect’. He drags his feet to the couch, letting his body drop face first, muffling a scream in its cushions.

There is a loud knock on the door and he hurries to sit up, straightening his shirt in hopes of looking presentable enough. Thankfully it’s just Yunho that sticks his head in a second later.

“You’ve got a visitor.” He says, smiling brightly. Hongjoong takes a deep breath and tries to compose himself.

His visitor is a complete surprise, walking in his office with hesitant steps but a fierce determination in his eyes. Hongjoong gives up his try of looking professional instantly, letting a smile take over.

“Hello, Yeosang.” He greets the child. Yunho closes the door, leaving them alone.

“Hi.” The boy says. He remains by the door, feet scuffing at Hongjoong’s carpet, but he meets Hongjoong’s eyes head on, his expression so serious it looks a little unnerving on the face of a child.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Hongjoong asks once it becomes clear that Yeosang won’t say anything else. The boy just nods once, but doesn’t open his mouth.

“Come sit with me.” Hongjoong beckons him toward the couch, taking a seat himself. Yeosang still doesn’t move but he puff his cheeks once before he opens his mouth.

“I am here on a mission.” He says, dead serious. Hongjoong tries his best not to burst in laughter but his amusement must show on his face because Yeosang frowns.

“What is your mission?” he humours him, trying to match the boy’s sober mood.

Yeosang finally steps towards the couch, his little legs making hurried little pads. “I’m here to bring you this.” He says, stopping right in front of Hongjoong and dropping a piece of paper in his lap.

Hongjoong picks it up carefully. It’s a page of a notebook, folded in half, and he gingerly opens it. And then proceeds to stare at it. There is a strange, yellow and orange figure drawn in the middle of the page. Hongjoong frowns and turns it upside down, maybe he is looking at it wrong. It seems to have 4 legs? Are those legs?

“It’s a lion.” Yeosang sighs deeply from besides him. It seems he had hopped on the couch while Hongjoong was taking his time examining the lion.

“A lion, of course.” Hongjoong laughs. “It is really pretty!”

“You are holding him upside down.” Yeosang deadpans. Hongjoong chuckles in embarrassment as he rights the page.

“Is it for me?” he asks. Yeosang nods shortly again. Are kids supposed to be acting this solemn?

“My mission. Sanie said I need to give you courage and Jongho said Simba has courage so I am giving it to you.” He tells Hongjoong, eyes boring in the other’s. Hongjoong remembers Yunho mentioning how Jongho is obsessed with Lion King these days.

“Simba was indeed very courageous.” He approves. “Thank you, for the courage. But did San say why I need this?”

“No. But you helped me with Pika last time so he said I have to help you this time.”

Ah, the Pikachu band-aids. Hongjoong smiles softly, reaching over to pat the boy’s soft hair.

“Thank you very much.”

“Woo also told me to tell you something.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“He said you need to get your S together.”

Hongjoong chokes on his next breath. “He said what?!” he barely manages between coughs. Yeosang regards him with a suspicious glance at best, judging most probably. Isn’t he too young to be capable of judging people?

“That’s what he said. I don’t know where you lost your S but once I lost my B and daddy found it. Did you look under the couch?” Hongjoong is a little lost but nods along anyway.

“I’ll look under the couch then. Thank you Yeosang.”

The child seems to deem his job done here as he jumps off the couch.

“My mission is over. Jongho is waiting for me to play with the guitars. Goodbye Mr Kim”

“You can call me Hongjoong.” He hears himself say out of reflex. ‘Mr Kim’ sounds so formal, so not Hongjoong.

“Hong... Joong” Yeosang repeats slowly, enunciating the name carefully. “That’s how daddy calls you.” He smiles, the first smile since he stepped in Hongjoong’s office. Hongjoong’s heart does this thing where it launches itself forward before it seems to realise it can’t leave his chest and sets down in quiet content.

“Bye, Joong!” Yeosang chirps, running out before Hongjoong has the chance to say anything else.

Seonghwa talks about him at home? He mentions him enough for his five year old not only to notice, but actually remember Hongjoong’s name? He feels his lips pull up in a wide grin as he stares at the door.

Yunho come in a few minutes after, gives him a concerned glance, but shrugs it off and goes on to discuss the staff meeting they should have later.

Hongjoong manages to somehow finish all the paperwork he has to sign for next week’s activities by 5:30 and he scrambles to get out of the office while Yunho is busy somewhere else, to avoid getting any extra task but also so that his friend won’t start questioning him. It is, after all, uncommon for Hongjoong to leave the office before 8.

He drives home on the shortest route he know, playing loud music and singing out loud, trying to ignore the nervous buzz at the back of his head.

He has more than enough time to take a quick shower and change before he has to meet Seonghwa but somehow the next thing he knows is that he’s looking at the clock and it’s 20 minutes before 7 and he still doesn’t know which shoes will work better with his outfit.

After too much deliberation he chooses a pair of dark blue jeans and a pale lime shirt. He got complimented on this outfit before so he settles for it as he doesn’t have enough time to go through his closet at the moment. He lifts the sleeves above his elbows and adds a silver bracelet at the last minute, just randomly picking the first pair of converse he gets his hands on. Being late would make a worse impression than the wrong matched shoes. 

The bar Seonghwa chose turns out to be a restaurant as well after a quick Google search. Hongjoong wonders if he should have not eaten lunch so late while he follows the GPS instructions. At this point the distant buzz is not so distant anymore, thrumming through his veins in an electrifying mix of excitement and nerves.

As he parks the car in front of the restaurant he is almost giddy but also feeling a little sick. He leans on the wheel, staring outside as he tries to calm down a little. He’s got 12 ore minutes till the agreed time so he can afford to just breathe a little and take it in. Better make a fool of himself in the car than in front of Seonghwa.

God, Seonghwa.

He is 10 minutes away from a date with Seonghwa. Park Seonghwa. 

He is way too nervous about this. He only met the man twice, for god’s sake. He chuckles to himself, the silence of his empty car absorbing the sound greedily. Is it a little pathetic? To be so excited about something like this when he barely even knows the man? Has it been so long since someone has shown interest in him that he became like this? He doesn’t remember feeling so much before the first dates he had in the past.

Maybe it’s not even a date, he reminds himself. He should keep that option in his mind as well. Not be too disappointed if the other is only looking for a friendly meeting.

His thoughts are forced to a stop by a knock on the side window. He jumps a little, head hitting the roof with an embarrassing thud. And of course, as he turns towards the noise, Park Seonghwa’s perfectly sculpted face is watching him with and amused little smile.

He considers turning the key and driving away.

Instead he laughs a little, trying to cover his utter shame, and gets out of the car.

Seonghwa looks, of course, absolutely amazing. Honestly, the world amazing is definitely not enough but Hongjoong’s mind is a little too busy taking in the sight in front of him to think of more suitable adjectives for the other. They probably don’t even exist. Park Seonghwa must be some sort of empyreal being that the earthy words will never be enough to describe.

He must be coming straight from work, a leather briefcase in his hand. His clothes are so simple, just a suit that Hongjoong wouldn’t look at twice on any other man. But on Park Seonghwa, it looks ridiculously alluring. The black dress shirt is tucked neatly in a pair of burgundy pants, a tie just as black hanging a little loosely around his neck. A dark long coat protects him from the chilly April wind, and his shoes are just a pair of black dress shoes. Hongjoong thinks he might be drooling a little.

“Hello?” Seonghwa says and Hongjoong forces his eyes to look up and meet the man’s. It’s only polite, he’s been staring enough.

“Hi.” He replies and of course he sounds just as breathless as he feels. Seonghwa doesn’t seem to notice though. His eyes follow the line of Hongjoong’s shirt, the way its buttons are opened just enough to tease at a sliver of collarbone. There is a pink hue sitting high on his earlobes, and it might be as well from the cold, but Hongjoong hopes it’s because Seonghwa feels just a fraction of the thrill Hongjoong does.

“Should we go in?” he asks when the other doesn’t give any signs of saying anything else.

Seonghwa seems to physically snap out of a daze, head shaking once and his blush creeping on his cheeks as he smiles that endearingly awkward smile of his. 

“Yeah, come on.” He says, leading Hongjoong towards the entrance.

It’s definitely a date, Hongjoong decides are Seonghwa opens the door for him and then guides him inside, one of his large, warms hands finding home on Hongjoong’s lower back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed it with a comment


End file.
